i've used them and soft paws are great... I did end up getting lazy about keeping up with putting them back on once he shed them but I have considered buying them again.

I totally recommend them

uh-oh, someone forgot the close-italics tag!

but i put my own in ;)

oh and now it doesn't work anymore, ha!

I would love to know if these work, we are getting new couches in a few weeks and I really don't want to see them clawed to death like the old ones.

In the last apartment I slid 5 layers of tin foil under the slipcover of the couch on the arms. The cat scratched less....but didnt stop totally.

In my old place my roommate and I had softpads on the two kitties. THey freaked at first, but quickly acclimated. Two unexpected side effects:

one, visitors gushed over the color coordinated 'press on nails' - blue for the Russian Blue, and red for the Flame Point Siamese;

two, on the hardwood floors we ALWAYS knew where the little beasts were. As one friend put it "the clicking sounds like your cats are wearing tap shoes"

They work great for us. (The trick is remembering to keep them on.) My one kitty is waaaaay too old to have declawed, and too grumpy to get him to use a scratching post.

I thought about trying Soft Paws, and I even have a set, but my kitty has looooong toe fur and the thought of the glue... Yeah, I'm a bit of a klutz. With my luck, that would be a disaster. So I started trimming her nails. She's the first cat I've ever done that for, but she's the only cat I've had that wouldn't stop scratching. She doesn't scratch a lot, just this brief swipe at the couch before she jumps up. By the time you scold her for it, it seems as though you're scolding her for getting on the furniture. So clipping it was.

I got my kitty used to it as gradually as possible. At first, I would hold her while a friend clipped her nails. That friend had been clipping her kitty's nails for years, so she wasn't nervous about it like I was. Then later the friend would hold her while I learned to clip her nails. Last night I popped her in the bathroom sink and clipped her nails with only mild vocal complaint. The sink is just big enough and the curve is hard to escape, which I think helped her feel a little secure but not trapped. It was tons less traumatic than the first time we tried clipping!

SoftPaws are FANTASTIC! I check my cat's nails every few days and easily replace the ones that come off. Instant Nail Glue (for acrylic nail tips) works better than super glue. My cat can still "scratch" without causing damage, and she doesn't mind when we put them on.

HIGHLY recommended. Plus they look adorable (pink claws on a grey kitten, too cute!)

I've used them before, and I found them great initially. But as my cats' nails would grow out, there would be a gap between where the soft-paw ended and the edge of my cat's nail (just like if you paint your nails and they grow, there comes to be a gap between where the paint ends and the base of your nail). When this would happen, my cats would frequently get their nail stuck in blankets and such, as the blankets would catch in that space between where the softpaws ended and their nail ended.

(Rereading this, I don't think it's a good description of the problem. But I can't figure out any other way to describe the problem!)

I just recently bought them, desperately hoping they would work. Sadly, my cat ripped them all off with his teeth within 2 days. Four of them had been ripped off within the first hour. He was determined...

Very disappointed.

In a word, no!

I raved and raved about softpaws... until my Russian Blue got a soft paw stuck in the pile of the bathroom carpet. She cried and cried, then cried harder when I tried to get her out of the fix.

I eventually had to cut her out of the rug with an X-Acto knife. I think it was more traumatic for me than it was for her. No more soft paws for my cats now.

These did not work for me. At all. My cat hated them, chewed them off immediately. And putting them on really is a two-person job, which is a problem when you live alone. I ended up taking my kitty to the groomer to have them applied, but between the cost of the soft claws themselves and the groomer's charge for putting them on, even if this was somthing that worked, I'm not sure I could afford to use this solution month to month.

I love my little one dearly, but I'm actually at my wit's end when it comes to her claws. I bought my first grown-up sofa six months ago, and she has destroyed it. I don't think I could get more than $50 for it now. She has several scratching posts, in carpet, sisal and cardboard, but she still always prefers the sofa.

I even talked to an animal behaviorist about the problem, and she said I was doing everything right in trying to train her not to scratch the furniture, but that some cats are just very obstinate scratchers. Short of declawing, which I am extremely uncomfortable with and really isn't an option, I don't know what to do except accept that sometimes having an animal in the house means you can't have nice things.

Sigh.

Has anyone else had serious scratching issues with their cat?

Oh, and the problem that laetitae is talking about is a real issue with soft claws. Once the natural claw grows out, there is a gap between the base of the nail and base of the soft claw, and my poor cat would get stuck everywhere. One day I came home and she was stuck in a loop of sisal on the scratching post, mewling pitifully. It was awful. I had no idea if she had been stuck there for hours or what.

I loved soft paws - my kitty, Edie, wasn't so fond of me putting them on, but she got used to it (I had been trimming her nails for years). And it really helped my furniture survive her terrible scratching... Edie is no longer with us, but if I get a kitten or cat in the future, soft paws will be part of the bargain.

dpunjabi - do you clip your cat's nails regularly? I find that that works quite well since their nails are too dull to really tear in and do damage. I tend to clip mine about every week (maybe every couple of weeks when I get lazy). Because I do it regularly they're used to it, and I always give them a treat at the end to look forward to.

yes these are great. They changed our lives. we were at the point of talking about declawing them. We have great furniture that they were absolutely destroying. These are the best solution.

Laetitiae,

I clip them from time to time, but it's always an ordeal. She's pretty sensitive about having people touch her paws, and I often come away with a scratch or two. I've thought about taking her to the groomer to have it done, but on a weekly basis, that could get awfully expensive too.

Such a better solution to declawing... declawing shouldn't even be an option when it comes to saving your furniture! Can you imagine if your parents had your fingers amputated when you were a kid because you drew on the wall a couple times? Pretty messed up.

Anyway, I've used soft claws and they're great! It's kind of hard to get them on, but you have to make sure you can get the whole thing on really quickly because the glue can dry before it's fully on. My cats chew on them a little when they're first put on, but they get used to them. Also, make sure you trim their claws first because that can also make it hard to get the whole thing on in time.

I've only tried Soft Paws on one cat so far, but they worked great on him. He chewed on the first set a bit, meaning reapplication was necessary, but after that he got used to them. I just haven't tried them on my current two cats yet because they both act like they're being murdered every time I trim their claws (and I've been doing it since they were babies!), and even another 10 seconds per claw would be asking for trouble. It's going to have to happen though, if I want a new couch....

I've Soft-Clawed five different cats (two my own, the rest belonging to friends/family), and overall I would highly recommend them to anyone with cat scratching problems. Eli, one of my cats, went from scratching up the carpet so badly that he literally lifted two entire corners of the carpet off the floor. Needless to say, we didn't get any of our deposit back from that apartment. Since using the Soft Claws, I haven't had any crazy carpet removal issues. He still tries to scratch; he just can't pull anything up.

I've used them on Eli for the last few years, and although he has had some of the issues mentioned above (e.g. growing out oddly), he's never gotten his claws actually caught on anything while growing out with Soft Claws attached. USUALLY, the Soft Claws will just fall off naturally after a couple months. However, once in a while a couple will fall off within a week or so, but I always assume it's because I didn't apply the Claws on properly or with enough of the glue.

It's easier to apply them with two people (one holding the cat and pushing the claws out while the other preps and applies the actual claw cover), but it really depends on your cat's temperament. I generally do it by myself, but my cats are also very blasé about everything.

If the Soft Claws are falling off right away or within the first day, you may need to use more glue or have the cat stay put for a bit longer for the glue to dry. I've adorned a couple cats that made an attempt to chew/pull them off immediately and obsessively after application, but it took about a week to get any off, and they were able to remove one or two at most. If the Claws are the wrong size, that may also result in quick removal. Wow, I sound like a Soft Claw company rep. Sadly, it's just a result of feline overexposure.

Oh, also, getting the Soft Claws on eBay should save you a few bucks, and there's always a decent selection of colors/sizes available.

We had a TERRIBLE incident with Soft Paws. At first, they were really really awesome. Our kitty wasn't too bad as far as putting them on and she could do whatever she wanted. She also rarely got stuck on rugs even as they were growing out. BUT. At some point the nails stopped shedding correctly. So, instead of shedding off, she ended up with a few of the soft paw nails pushing right into the soft beds of her paws. AWFUL. Because of the glue, it was difficult to get the problem claws off, but with a lot of patience, we were able to get rid of all of them. She had little sores on her paws where they had embedded themselves into her paw. The good news is that they did heal very very quickly, but it was pretty traumatic for all of us.

I absolutely recommend these! I recommend trimming the nail before application so they last longer and starting when your cat is a kitten if possible. This is the most humane solution and should be considered and tried before declawing!

I recommend them too! They have really saved my furniture, and my cat does not mind them at all.

this seems cruel to me. i haven't tried them, but i have lived with my fair share of cats over the years. my biggest concern would be if a cat managed to chew them off and swallow them. i had a cat years ago who accidently swallowed a small piece of plastic and it destroyed her kidneys. she ended up dying as a result. it doesnt seem worth it.

i bought a new couch a couple of months ago and my current cat, sam, was scratching when i was out. i spent 3 weeks covering the couch with blankets when i wasnt home. when i was home, anytime he tried to scratch i yelled at him. eventually i stopped putting the blankets on when i went out and he hasn't touched the couch.

I thought this was a joke. I can't imagine a cat tolerating this kind of thing, but from your notes above clearly some do.
Poor cats, dogs have had to adjust to sweaters, now cats to finger nails :-)

My cat took to these surprisingly well, and we didn't have any negative experiences. I did feel a bit embarrassed for my male tabby when he got stuck with a sole remaining pink set... but in the grand scheme of things, that time I neutered him was likely a little more emasculating :)

i tried this on one of my parents cats, and she totally freaked out. i should have worn falconer gloves while applying them. once they were on, she immediately started chewing them and got one off right away. she had the rest off in a few days.

How " green " is it to super glue plastic to your pet's claws- the same paws that they lick?

Most superglue is pretty inert, once dry. They're using it in place of sutures to seal wounds.

Omigod! I never heard of such a thing Down Under. This feels weird and gross.

i would never do that.

cats have claws. it's up to us to kitty-proof our HOMES, not kitty-proof our kitties.

When training cats to not scratch furniture, it really helps to soak the area they are scratching with one of the enzymatic cleaners for pet messes. The spray ones are convenient, but you really need to get the area wet so it works well.

Scratching is part renewing the claws and part marking. The cleaners can help remove the scent or previous marking that they have left.

I have found that when I am diligent about spraying the areas of my sofa where they scratch with simple solution or the like, the amount they scratch there decreases.

These are a pain to put on and we kept having 1 or 2 come off, never to be seen again.

We inherited a cat condo from my dad after his cats stopped using it. The scratching posts on the condo are tall enough for our cat to actually use (he hated the stand-alone scratching post that we borrowed from my dad). We only occasionally catch him scratching where he shouldn't (like the piano). We got a new sofa 2 months ago and he hasn't scratched it yet.

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha----the idea of trying to put Soft Paws on my originally feral cat Olive is too funny. Immediately after trying to put on the first one, I'd leave a trail of blood leading straight to the ER.

I've been pondering this problem lately since I've never been able to break my cat from the habit of scratching the sofa. I've tried the sprays, covering the sofa with foil, plastic wrap, waxed paper, newspapers, blankets... anything I could think of. I can't count the amount of money I've spent on things specifically made for him to scratch on and that he turns his nose up at.

As soon as I get the living room painted we're getting new flooring, and my husband just said that maybe we should look at new living room furniture. Since I really HATE the fugly stuff we have now, I'm overjoyed - but worried about spending serious bucks on something that would probably be trash in a few months. :-(

I use softclaws fairly regularly with my cat. I can put them on by myself. Occasionally if he's in a mood, I use the towel method (kitten burrito-ed in the towel), but otherwise, I simply do what I can until he's really over it, and get the rest later. Once they are on, he usually gnaws at them for a bit, but otherwise, ignores them.

It is very important to get the correct size. Cats' claws vary in size, and the large size will push against the footpad on a smaller-clawed cat. The size of the cat isn't always the best indication of what size softclaws they will need. My cat is larger in size and takes a combination of medium and small softclaws.

The glue sold with the softclaws is softer than regular superglue, which makes it easier to remove the softclaw in the event of a misapplication (like say, kitty's paw hair gets stuck in the nail) or kitty decides to try and tear up the berber. Just FYI, you can order more glue and glue tips at the web site.

Another helpful tip I learned for inveterate claw-ers - Sandpaper. We had one cat who liked to paw at the door incessantly. Taped a set of sandpaper squares (4 1 foot squares) to the wall and she stopped. Gradually took off squares until the door was bare. For those who need to try something on their couches, I'd recommend a bit of sandpaper, and I didn't find a particular grit worked better than any other once you got to at least a medium grit.

I put them occasionally on just the front paws of my cat. It helps with the scratching on the couch and for when he kneads on me when sitting on me- otherwise I end up with red scratch marks that swell up :/

These are GREAT! I don't know how anyone could see them as cruel...it's just a plastic cover for the nails that falls off as the nail grows, and they are much smaller than a piece of cat food, and they are not sharp, so swallowing shouldn't be an issue. Just be sure to get the right size (they should fit right over the nail like a glove...not too big). <BR><BR>
I used these on my kitten when she was around 8 months old to aid in training her not to scratch on my bedding and the couch...I didn't have to worry about the furniture while I wasn't around to keep an eye on her. After sliding them over the nail, I would distract her with her favorite feather toy for about 30 seconds to let the glue set. They lasted a few weeks for me, and she never got them caught in anything. <BR><BR>I even ordered the XL dog size for my 75 lb greyhound (he is just a year old and occassionally gets so excited that he'll dig his nails into my floors, even when they are kept as short as possible) to protect my hardwood floors, and they have worked very well for him too. I atually buy the SoftClaws brand.

these seem like they'd be uncomfortable.

i know some people have an issue w/ this, but what about declawing? if they are COMPLETELY indoor cats, it's totally ok. it's not removing fingers, just the nails. i had to get my cat declawed b/c when she'd sleep, she'd have seizures & i got scars b/c of it. guess what. they still "scratch" things w/ their claws & play like a normal cat. i don't think it's any less humane than getting them fixed. think about it, when their nails catch & snag on things, they can really hurt themselves.

i'm a college student and refused to declaw my cat, debbie. i lived by myself so it didnt bother me much if she scratched my couch a little. i recently moved in with a roommate, and debbie has chosen my roomates nice armchair as her favorite new scratching post (not okay with the roommate who already isnt a big cat fan). i refuse to declaw her so i found out about soft paws. i was so excited but debbie is CRAZYYYY. shes the most hyper cat i've ever encountered. i knew i was never in a million years going to be able to put them on myself... i took her to the vet where she actually had to be sedated before even the vets could put them on. needless to say when she woke up she was nottt happy. it cost $60 at the vet for the sedation and to have them put the soft paws on. HOWEVER despite the pricey vet bill, the soft paws have helped SO MUCH. i'm nervous though because they've been on a while now and havent fallen off...?

That is just terrible. I should be against the law.

I seriously cant understand people who would use this or - which is nothing but pure animal abuse - declawing. Why on earth do you get cats if you don't understand that they are animals and that they have needs?

It would be like getting a child and then have it tied down, because otherwise it might ruin the home.

Terrible. I am so glad I live in a country where declawing is agains the law.